What Is the Shred of Goodness John Proctor Finds in Himself in Act Iv?
A SHRED OF GOODNESS.
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” This speech is said by John Proctor near to the end of Act IV a moment before he tears up his confession; it is the moment where he finds the shred of goodness in himself. To understand how he finds it, we first need to understand the moral battle and journey the Proctor goes through.
John Proctor is easily identified as The Crucible’s protagonist. Proctor was a stand-up man who spoke his mind. His name was synonymous with honour and integrity within the community. Proctor took pleasure in exposing hypocrisy in the town and he was respected for it; most importantly he respected himself. That was up until Proctor had made his biggest mistake; all it took was one shameful encounter to destroy Proctor’s most prized possession – his self-respect.
Proctor had committed the crime of lechery and adultery with none other than Abigail Williams; before he knew it his goodly life was irrevocably corrupted. Proctor was a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. Proctor began to view himself as the thing he hated most – a fraud and a hypocrite. He was caged by his own guilt. The emotional weight of the play rests on Proctors journey to regain his self-image, his lost goodness. It is indeed, Proctors journey from guilt to redemption which forms the central spine of The Crucible.
In Act II, we can see the burden that hangs over Proctor. Whilst at the dinner table Proctor says, “I’ll not have your suspicion anymore”. It is the guilt caged inside Proctor which causes him to say this; if he had no guilt he would not have reacted this way. Proctor then later says, “Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not”, all proctor
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” This speech is said by John Proctor near to the end of Act IV a moment before he tears up his confession; it is the moment where he finds the shred of goodness in himself. To understand how he finds it, we first need to understand the moral battle and journey the Proctor goes through.
John Proctor is easily identified as The Crucible’s protagonist. Proctor was a stand-up man who spoke his mind. His name was synonymous with honour and integrity within the community. Proctor took pleasure in exposing hypocrisy in the town and he was respected for it; most importantly he respected himself. That was up until Proctor had made his biggest mistake; all it took was one shameful encounter to destroy Proctor’s most prized possession – his self-respect.
Proctor had committed the crime of lechery and adultery with none other than Abigail Williams; before he knew it his goodly life was irrevocably corrupted. Proctor was a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. Proctor began to view himself as the thing he hated most – a fraud and a hypocrite. He was caged by his own guilt. The emotional weight of the play rests on Proctors journey to regain his self-image, his lost goodness. It is indeed, Proctors journey from guilt to redemption which forms the central spine of The Crucible.
In Act II, we can see the burden that hangs over Proctor. Whilst at the dinner table Proctor says, “I’ll not have your suspicion anymore”. It is the guilt caged inside Proctor which causes him to say this; if he had no guilt he would not have reacted this way. Proctor then later says, “Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not”, all proctor